Letter to the editor: Spend some money on sidewalks

$3 million to Ewing and Fairfield changes when traffic flows just fine as is. $700,000 to beautify overpasses. $700,000 for two studies? $500,000 for interchange beautification.

Before we spend all that money on cosmetics, don’t you think we should have some basic infrastructure for people’s safety? Here on Bluffton Road (one of the city’s oldest arteries) we just need some basic sidewalks. Every day I see people trying to navigate this dangerous stretch of road on foot or bicycles. A handicapped man on a power chair has no choice but to get out on the road and take his chances with the high-speed traffic.

All we need are a few connections that will keep pedestrians and the like from choosing between trudging through the mud, or risking their lives in the road. The bridge across the ditch at Winchester Road has a nice sidewalk on it, but it leads only to a mud path. I invite the mayor to walk this stretch on a regular basis and see what we have to encounter every day.